


The Paladin's Guide to Dating

by Braincoins



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Fluff, in which the entire team wingmans for Shiro, pining!Shiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-11 10:09:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20544422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Braincoins/pseuds/Braincoins
Summary: Shiro's worked up the nerve to ask Allura out on a date, but... now what? Coran and Team Voltron to the rescue!





	The Paladin's Guide to Dating

**Author's Note:**

> I had this title in my head when I woke up. Slowly, story came to me. I had to write it. 
> 
> Got most of it done before I had to leave for appointments today; came back, filled in the rest, and sent it to [mckinlily](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mckinlily/pseuds/mckinlily) for beta-ing. Thanks! Thanks also to [BreezyCheezy](https://breezycheezyart.tumblr.com/) for the "[Shiro can do origami](https://braincoins.tumblr.com/post/171135298013/shiro-used-to-be-really-good-at-origami-in-his)" idea.  
===============

**Foreword**

Shiro was the leader of Voltron, known around the universe as being brave and strong, able to face down entire fleets of Galra without batting an eye. What the universe didn’t know, or perhaps just didn’t understand, was that bravery didn’t mean he wasn’t scared. It just meant he did what was right in spite of the fear.

And, right now, he was terrified. He swallowed hard, breathed the way he’d been taught, and then forged ahead.

“Princess, would you like to have dinner with me?”

She looked up from her comtab. “I have dinner with you most nights, Shiro.”

“Well, yes, and the rest of the team. But I meant… just me. Like… like a date.”

Her brow furrowed. “Is my translator malfunctioning? A date is a set time on a calendar or a fruit particular to…”

He shook his head, gave a strained chuckle. “N-no. I mean… you and me having dinner together to… talk.”

“Is there something we need to discuss without the rest of the team?”

“No! I mean, yes, but it’s not…”

Her eyebrows rose. “Oh! Do you mean you wish to have dinner alone with me for personal reasons?”

He thought about that. “Yyeees?” he ventured.

She took a step closer to him, cocked her head a little. “Romantic reasons?”

If he wasn’t blushing before, he was now. It was like his whole face had caught on fire. He couldn’t respond in words, so he just nodded.

She smiled, and his heart – already approaching mach one – skipped a beat. “I would like that.”

The relief left him weak-kneed.

“But right now, I have to…”

“Oh, yes, of course! I… I’ll see you at dinner, Princess.”

She nodded, still smiling, and looked back to her comtab as she walked off.

Shiro exhaled and tried to pull himself back together. He turned to leave in the other direction… and nearly walked right into Coran and the rest of the team, all of them grinning ear-to-ear.

_Oh quiznak._

**Coran**

“Now, this isn’t some spaceport floozy we’re talking about here. This is the Crown Princess of Altea, heir to King Alfor. You can’t just wine her and dine her and expect…”

“No!” Shiro rushed to interject. “I-I wouldn’t! I’m not. I…”

Coran narrowed his eyes at him. Of course, it was all for effect. If King Alfor were here, Coran rather thought he’d approve of Shiro. Since Alfor wasn’t, vetting the princess’s suitors fell to him. And _he_ certainly approved.

Shiro was kind, brave, considerate, and compassionate. He was strong but didn’t use that strength to show off or bully anyone. Coran personally thought that Shiro let Allura get away with far too much, but he looked after her, cared for her well-being. He was a skilled fighter, a good leader, and extremely attractive on top of all of that.

But what sort of advisor-turned-second father would Coran be if he just let Shiro off the hook? No, no, that wouldn’t do. Besides, Shiro wasn’t Altean, and he was unlikely to know the proper protocols. He had to be educated.

“You’ll need to prove the sincerity of your intentions. That you’re not just looking for a single quintant’s dilly-dalliance and…”

“Are you making these words up or did my translator fry?”

“Hush!” Coran scolded him.

“Okay, okay. How do I prove that I’m not… um, only interested in one thing?”

Coran straightened up, full of outrage. “You’d better only be interested in one thing!”

“What?”

“And that thing is THE PRINCESS!”

“She’s not a thing.”

“THAT’S RIGHT!”

Shiro frowned. “Can you just answer the question? How do I prove ‘the sincerity of my intentions’?”

“I hear those air quotes in there, Shiro.”

“Coran…” he groaned.

“First, you’ll need the proper attire. Love is, as they say, a battlefield, and you must be prepared.”

“So, what, I should wear my paladin armor?” he asked wryly.

“Yes!” Coran declared.

“Wait, what?”

“Armor is essential!” He saw Shiro about to protest that and leaned in to add, quietly, “And Allura likes a man in uniform.”

Shiro blinked and then nodded. “Okay. Paladin armor. Check. What else?” He was hooked now, completely sold on doing whatever Coran told him to do. Just as he had planned.

“The Castle has a complete set of the Love Songs of Berandi. I suggest you play them in the background to underscore your suit.”

“Music! Right, good catch, Coran!”

He waved up a screen. “For example, this is a song dedicated to all those pining for their true love.” He selected the appropriate file.

“Sounds per-…” Shiro froze and then clapped his hands over his hideous ears. “WHAT IS THIS?” he asked over the music.

“I Just Told You!” Coran yelled back. He had to get over Shiro’s blockaded sound receptors as well as the screeching _plxrothes_ and the cacophonous _delerangi_. “This is The Sound of Pining Love!”

“NOT FOR ME IT ISN’T!” Shiro insisted.

Coran sniffed and stopped the music. Shiro carefully lowered his hands as Coran muttered, “No one appreciates the classics.”

**Lance**

“Okay, first thing, forget everything Coran told you.”

“What?”

Lance sized Shiro – and his disbelieving expression – up. “Coran’s a great guy, but he’s an old fogey. You’re talking to Lovemaster Lance now.”

Shiro snorted.

Lance glared at him. “O ye of little faith,” he scolded his leader. “Trust me here, I know what chicks dig.”

“Um, no offense, Lance, but your attempts at wooing Allura haven’t really…”

“Exactly!”

Shiro’s brow furrowed. “Exactly _what_?”

“Shiro, I’ve been working on Allura since the moment I met her. So I know _exactly _what doesn’t work on her_._ I’m the expert!”

“I… can’t actually dispute that.”

Lance nodded. “That’s right!” He basked in the moment.

Shiro was his hero, one of the youngest pilots to make it through the Garrison, top marks, but he’d never been arrogant about it. He’d never shown off or tried to one-up anyone _unlike SOME people, KEITH_, and if Lance had to lose Allura to someone, he was glad – and not a little surprised – that it’d be Shiro. Lance was a total ladies’ man, but if he went that way, he’d totally have gone for Shiro. Who wouldn’t? He was buff and sexy, handsome, with a smile second only to Lance’s (of course). He was a great guy and a great leader.

Still, having seen Shiro’s performance in just asking Allura out, Lance knew the man needed help. And that’s where he came in. And now that Shiro understood just how much he needed Lance’s advice, they could get started.

“Coran said I should wear my armor.”

“Okay, I’ll give him that one,” Lance agreed.

“And he said that I need to…”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Lance interrupted, waving his hand to be rid of Coran’s old-fashioned ideas, “forget all of that. Here’s what you need to do. First of all, sit!”

Shiro sat on the edge of Lance’s bed.

“Now, we’re going to exfoliate first thing. I’ll need something to clip your hair back with… Ah, here we go! Do you speak any French?”

“English, Japanese, some Latin and Greek roots…”

Lance went to get his face cream. “I’ll take that as a ‘no.’ That’s okay.”

“I was going to have music playing during the di-…”

“No!” Lance snapped. “At least, not whatever Coran wants you to listen to.”

“We agree on that.”

“I’m thinking Beyonce. Something you can get up and _dance_ to.” He started dabbing cream on Shiro’s face.

“Lance, I’m not…”

“Don’t say you can’t dance. Of course you can! Everyone can dance, Shiro. Just move to the music! Easy!”

“But Earth dancing might not be – probably _isn’t_ – the same as Altean dancing.”

“Show her your moves, and then she can show you hers, eh?” Lance smirked.

“LANCE,” he said in that annoyed tone of voice.

“Dinner and dancing is the best combo,” he continued as if Shiro hadn’t just been about to scold him. “You don’t want her to think you’re boring, do you? All war and no play?”

“Well, I don’t want to talk about the war during dinner, that’s for sure.”

“When she comes in, give her some flowers and tell her she looks beautiful.”

“Where am I supposed to get flowers?”

“You’re resourceful, O Leader. Improvise. There, let that sit a bit.”

Shiro “hmm”ed in thought. “I can do origami?”

“There you go! Just fold up a flower or twelve for her! Maybe two dozen. Piece of cake!”

“Piece of cake? You tell me where I find _paper_ around here?”

“Pfft, trivial matter,” Lance said. “Now once that’s done doing its work, we’re going to moisturize, while I go over my tried and true list of Things Not to Say to Allura. And then it’s time to work on some _moves_.”  


**Hunk**

“First things first, no armor.”

“What?!”

“You have to be vulnerable, be willing to open yourself up to another person. That’s what love is all about, Shiro!”

“I… guess so.”

“Also, food.”

“I knew it.”

“Of course!” Hunk beamed. “Food is love, Shiro. Food is… it’s not just nourishment for our body, it’s nourishment for our heart and soul. And that’s what you have to show her: your heart and soul.”

“I… you know, so far, you’re making the most sense.”

Hunk laughed. “Thanks! But I mean, honestly, Shiro: Coran and Lance? Lance’s been trying to get Allura from the second he saw her, and look where he’s gotten. And Coran’s practically her _dad_; you know how dads are about men dating their daughters.”

“But…”

“Trust me here, Shiro. I wouldn’t let you down. After all, I’m the leg of Voltron, here to support you!” He grinned.

“You’re _really_ happy about being a leg, aren’t you?”

“You Bet I Am!” Hunk grinned ear to ear.

And it was true. Let Lance vie for glory, let Shiro take the spotlight. Hunk was happy in his support role, where he knew he was helping the team and the universe. That was his whole life: helping people and fixing problems. And Shiro had a big problem now, perhaps the biggest of them all: love.

Shiro was a good guy, a great leader who had taught Hunk pretty much everything he knew about flying. When Hunk didn’t know what to do in a battle, he looked to Shiro, whose calm, steady voice would come over the comms and give him direction and reassurance.

The fact that a smoking hot guy like Shiro could still be uncertain and uneasy around someone he liked was surprising to Hunk. But he was, and Hunk was going to do what he always did: help. It was the very least he could do for him, after all that Shiro had meant to him.

“Come on, we’re gonna whip up a meal she won’t forget!”

“I’m… not the best cook, Hunk. And I’m a _terrible_ baker.”

“We’re not baking, don’t worry. I’ll help you with the cooking. I’ve got your back, so don’t worry about a thing. We’re gonna do this together, and you’re gonna wow your princess. Guaranteed.”

Shiro exhaled nervously. “O-okay. I’ll just… do what you do.”

“That’s right!” Hunk said, smiling some more to remind Shiro how it was done. “And, of course, we’ll want the lights low, some candlelight…”

“I don’t think they have candles,” Shiro protested.

“We’ll find something to make do,” Hunk promised, already digging through the kitchen supplies to get what they’d need. “Nice tablecloth… it’s really all about presentation.”

“Presentation,” Shiro repeated to himself. “Right.”

“Some music in the background…”

“Beyonce?” Shiro asked.

Hunk laughed. “No, no. Something quietly romantic. We’re trying to set a mood here.”

“I like the ‘quiet’ part.”

“Yeah, we don’t want it to overshadow everything. It should be a suggestion, not a demand.”

“You’re good at this, Hunk. Thank you.”

“Now, I’ve been experimenting with some of the Altean foodstuffs, and I think this is going to be a real treat for you both.” He surveyed his assembled equipment and ingredients. “Easy peasy, just 36… no, 37 steps.”

**Pidge**

“So what have they been telling you?” she asked.

“Um… a lot of conflicting information,” Shiro admitted.

She nodded. “I thought so. Everyone has their own ideas, and they’re all so sure they’re the expert.” She shook her head.

“No offense, Pidge, but have you ever dated someone?”

“Yes, actually!” she replied. “I’ve had… a lot of first dates.” She cleared her throat. “But I’m not saying that I’M the expert. I know I’m not.”

“Oh. Then… what are you…?”

“_Data_ is the expert,” she told him, pushing her glasses back up.

Shiro had been a friend of the family for years now. He’d done everything he could to protect her dad and Matt, to protect Earth. He looked after them. He was like another older brother to her, or kind of like the dad of this odd little family that the team had become to her. She knew she wasn’t a “love expert” and – unlike Lance – she wasn’t about to put herself forward as one. She was going to lean on what she always leaned on: data and analysis.

By Earth standards, Shiro was a physical specimen at the top of the range, if not the very top. At school, everyone who met the typical societal beauty standards tended to look down on her (and at her, but she couldn’t help it if she was short) and treated her like dirt. But Shiro never had. He’d always believed in her and supported her. He was kind and strong and steady. He was a good leader, the kind who took in the information and used it to form a solid plan.

So all she had to do was give him the information he needed, like she always did. Simple.

“This is actually a project of mine I’ve been working on off-and-on for a few years now,” she said. “Ever since my first crush.”

“Greg Grimaldis?” He grinned.

She sniffed. “We will not speak his name ever again,” she intoned solemnly. “And he still owes me $15. But anyway.” She brought up Project Cupid – as she called it – and graphs and data sets filled her laptop’s screen.

“Despite advances in gender equality, flowers are still a one-way transaction in most Earth cultures, _from_ men _to_ women in a male/female relationship. I won’t get into the same-sex data as it doesn’t apply here. A generic bouquet on a first date has a better than half – 51.347% - chance of impressing the woman; if you know her favorite flower…”

“Juniberries,” he said immediately.

“A single favorite flower has an 85% chance of getting you at least a kiss on the cheek,” she told him.

“Juniberries are extinct. They died with Altea.”

“I’m just giving you the data,” she told him. “Single favorite flower works far better than generic bouquet, but some flowers are better than none in nearly all cases. You don’t want to give jewelry until at least the third date, and even then it can’t be obviously expensive _or_ have massive personal sentiment attached to it, because that typically requires at least six months of dating first. But a small trinket of some sort – a cute bracelet or something – can be useful on the third or fourth date.”

“She already wears bracelets.”

“_Or something_,” she repeated.

“What about food?”

“Oh, a nice dinner is a must. For a first date, fancy restaurants have a 10% higher chance of good-night kisses than casual restaurants or homemade…”

“Dammit.”

“…but if you know that she likes a specific restaurant or dish that you’re good at making, then that gives you a 25% higher chance instead of the generic fancy place.”

“I’m not good at making _anything_,” he groaned. “I had to get Hunk’s help with the food. And it still looks… well, it doesn’t look like Hunk made it.”

“No, that’s actually good! So long as you applied some sort of personal touch to the meal, it will be appreciated. Whether you get a good-night kiss or not is related more to the overall experience score. A bad meal will give you a low score, but a single favorite flower and a good experience of some sort other than the meal can still save the date from being a disaster.”

“Oh, right, I should think of something besides dinner. …but what? _Not_ dancing.”

“If we were on Earth, I would suggest the cost-effective and often romantic option of walking beneath the stars, but…”

“We kind of fly through them on a regular basis,” he finished.

“A movie? Swimming?”

“I’ve heard… concerning things about the pool. And I don’t know if Alteans even _have_ movies. And they’d be in Altean.”

“We have translators,” she reminded him. “Presumably they’d work just as well for movies.”

“Okay, good point. But should I ask her to…? I mean, shouldn’t I have everything planned out, since I asked her?”

“Typically, yes: the asker provides the experience for the askee to evaluate. Doing otherwise is a risk: some askees like being given the option, while some resent it. If your askee likes being offered the choice of post-meal experience, you can improve your chances of a smooch by whopping 60%.”

“And if she doesn’t like it?”

“You’re toast.”

Shiro groaned.

**Keith**

“Why are you even asking me?”

“Because you’re my best friend, Keith.”

Keith sighed. “Shiro, why are you so nervous? You’ve dated before. You’ve dated _a lot._”

“I really haven’t, Keith. It just seems like that to you. And going on dates with the same person over and over is different. And yeah, I’ve done this before, but…” He exhaled and leaned back. They were in the lounge, sitting on the “sofas” or whatever the Alteans would have called them. Shiro looked up at the ceiling.

“Adam was hot, but we had so much in common, what with both being in the Garrison and all. It gave me an easy place to start, even though I was nervous. But Allura… she’s a _literal princess_. She’s an alien, too: things that work for Adam – or anyone else back on Earth – might backfire for her. She’s gorgeous and smart and clever and determined and brave and…”

“SHIRO,” Keith said before he could continue. He’d heard all this before. He was the only one Shiro had confided in about his crush on the princess. “Look at me.”

When Shiro did so, Keith leaned forward and locked gazes with him. “Yeah, Adam was hot, Allura’s hot, sure, whatever. _YOU’RE HOT, TOO, SHIRO._ You’re a solid 12/10, buff, handsome, strong arms, great ass. Don’t worry about that.

“And you’re also smart and clever and brave and determined. You’re supportive and you’re thoughtful. You’re a great guy, Shiro, and Allura would have to be an idiot not to want to be with you. One thing the princess definitely isn’t is an idiot.”

Shiro took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You really think so?”

“Yes.” It was his turn to lean back now, to soften the hard “Get It Through Your Head, Shiro” gaze. “I really think so.”

They were both quiet for a few ticks, and Keith was about to leave when Shiro asked, “So… no advice then?”

He shrugged. “If I were the one who was nervous about going on the date, what would you tell me?” He got up and walked out.

**Afterword: The Princess’s Guide to <strike>Dating</strike> Dinner Alone with Someone for Personal Reasons**

The lights in the dining room were low, but not so much that she couldn’t see the changes. One of the emergency lamps was on the table, illumination dimmed from its usual super-bright. The formal tablecloth was out on the dining room table, along with a pale blue runner that was normally used for formal celebratory occasions. There were only two place settings: hers at the head of the table and Shiro’s to her right, as usual. Her plate had a bowl of _nutrien_ and a plate of some of Hunk’s gourmet creations albeit without quite the same polish and level of flair she was used to seeing.

There was the faint sound of music – something instrumental, soft, light – wafting through the background. He was wearing his civilian clothes – _I’m glad I wore mine then, as well_ – and a nervous smile. Aside from some pink in his cheeks, his skin looked flawless. As she approached, he held out what looked like a juniberry made of folded paper. “I wish I could give you a real one,” he said, sounding apologetic.

She smiled as she stopped in front of him. She took the juniberry carefully from his hands, set it down next to her place setting, then stepped in, shifted just enough to make up the slight height difference, slid her arms around him, and kissed him.

She felt him melt into her arms before he returned her embrace. And when she pulled away, she smiled at him.

“It’s adorable that you went to these lengths to impress me, Shiro, but they’re unnecessary. After all this time we’ve spent together, I know a great deal about you: that you are compassionate with those deserving of it, merciless to those who aren’t; that you are brave in the face of odds that would make most people flinch; that you are thoughtful and considerate, willing to compromise when required and hold the line when you must. You are,” she felt the heat of her blushing warm her cheeks, “handsome, strong, and I love seeing you smile.

“I would not have agreed to a romantic dinner if I were not already interested. We can skip that part and move onto discussing the progression of this relationship… assuming you still want to, now that I’ve stepped on all your plans?”

“I would love to discuss that,” he said with a smile. “More now than ever. Your plans are definitely better than mine.” His lips sought hers again.

“Dinner will get cold.”

“It’s not very good anyway; trust me, I made it.”

She laughed just before he kissed her again.


End file.
